Charles

After having tutored students throughout school, I finally received A*AA in Philosophy, History and English. During my undergraduate studies in Philosophy, I had the privilege of being taught by an exceptional German teacher in my final year who inspired me to consider teaching; I decided to study for a ’Teach English as a Foreign Language’ qualification. This feeling continued to snowball under the auspices of my professors at St. Andrews. To these teachers I am proudly indebted. Having struggled greatly as a child at school, it is my personal ambition to replicate what they did for me in a context which I once found so difficult. Since the traditional family occupation has always been in teaching, I feel a great sense of pride in continuing that legacy, whilst also making my own mark upon it. During my studies, I have worked for bookshops, academic journals, and even as a transcriber of 19th century manuscripts. In this time, I have also been a guitar tutor, and a leader of reading groups and academic seminars. It is my ultimate aspiration to become a university lecturer, where I hope to continue tutoring, further developing my skills as a teacher.

I pursue a Socratic or dialogue based approach to tutoring my students. Not only do I think this reduces a student's anxieties, but it also involves them in the discussion on a more equal footing, making them a participant rather than just a recipient. My classes are characterised by a high value on intellectual openness and generosity, coupled with a light sense of humour. I ask questions and allow the student to ask me questions, we develop our ideas together and move forward in a reciprocal and open dialogue. The move is always toward greater clarity and insight, breaking things down and seeing how all the components fit together as the discussion progresses. My objective is to elicit as much as possible from the student, whilst giving them the intellectual tools to succeed. I believe this helps a student improve their confidence, enabling them to better articulate their ideas whilst giving them the sure footedness needed for autonomous and thoughtful inquiry.

When teaching GCSE and A-Level humanities, I also put a high value on fostering sympathy for the inner lives of those under study, whether it be a novelist, participants in a freedom march, or German citizens in the aftermath of WWI. I try to put the student in the shoes of whoever we are looking at by using a menagerie of sources and insights to encourage reflection. This not only helps to develop a more mature and critical approach to study, but I also think it inculcates a more empathetic and understanding view of other the world.

Having previously worked in a number of bookstores I am an avid reader of just about everything, and I also dabble in writing myself, both academic and fictional. I also like to visit art galleries and museums, but one of my big hobbies is trying out new recipes, with an exponentially growing cookbook collection. Other than that, music is something very close to my heart, and I have been a frequent performer of live music since I was 13, in addition to composing my own music with my best friend.